How This Weight Loss Injection Could Matter for Certain Hearts.

Wegovy (semaglutide) is often discussed for weight loss. Now it is also making headlines for heart health. It has become the first medicine approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to reduce cardiovascular risk in people who are overweight or obese. That decision is based on the SELECT trial, a large study that looked at both weight management and major heart outcomes.

What Wegovy is, and how it is taken:

Wegovy is a GLP-1 receptor agonist. It mimics a natural hormone involved in appetite regulation and blood sugar control. It is taken as a subcutaneous injection once a week. The dose is increased gradually over 16 weeks to help limit potential side effects such as nausea and diarrhoea. It is delivered using an auto-injector pen designed for convenience.

What the SELECT trial found:

SELECT followed more than 17,600 participants for five years. Everyone in the trial had cardiovascular disease and a BMI of 27 or higher, but did not have diabetes. Compared with placebo, Wegovy reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) by 20%. These events included heart attacks, strokes, and death from cardiovascular causes.

Why this matters:

This MHRA approval marks a turning point in obesity treatment because it addresses weight management and the strong connection between excess weight and cardiovascular disease. For people living with overweight or obesity who also have cardiovascular disease, it brings a clear message from a large study: the benefits observed were not limited to the scale.

♦︎ Wegovy and other weight loss treatments available: Medetone Pharmacy

Sources:

Novo Nordisk. Semaglutide 2.4 mg reduces the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events by 20% in adults with overweight or obesity in the SELECT trial. Company announcement No 50/2023. 8 August 2023.

European Society of Cardiology (ESC). SELECT trial results. Presented at ESC Congress 2023.